Load-gripping mechanism for conveyers.



L. c. DAVIDSON.

LOAD GRIPPING MEGHANISM FOR GONVEYERS.

vAIPLIOATION FILED 00T. 26, 1908.

2 {SHEETS-SEE www@ Sgm. 2L

L. G. DAVIDSON. LOAD GRPPING MEGHANISM FOR GONVEYERS.

- AEPLIGATIOI FILED 00T. 26, 1908. @S-gg@ l Patented Sept.21,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i vopposite side inNrrED sT-Aras attente IQYMAN O. DAVIDSON,

'- COMPANY, or CHICAGO,

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNR TO BIG et 'lilA UFACURING ILLINUIS, A CDRPGRATIGN 0E ILLINL LOAD-GRIFFIN@ MEOHANISM ron sonar-Yeas Specification of Letters Patent.

- Ifatented ttt a Application filed October 26, 1908. Serial No4 459,558,

-TO all whom it may concern."

' Be itltnown that I, LYMAN C. Drtvmson, a citizen ofthe UnitedStates,V residing at Chicago, in theveounty of Cook and State of Illinois; have invented a certain new and useful' "Improvement in` Load Gripping Mechanism for Conveyors, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for automaticallyattaching and detaching mem- "bers to be transported from a conveyer chain. For the purposes of illustration a single. rod is used in theapplieation to indicate the memberso supported. Any sort of a mechanislnmay he hung upon this rod wit`-A )ut departing from the invention.

The ohjeet of the invention isto provide a simple, neat and ellieient mechanism carried by a conveyer chain which will automatically gripihe object ,to he transported at one point of travel ini the Chaim hold itsecurely until another point is reached, usually on the oit-hesa'me wheel, and means for automatically releasing the Object so gripped. v

The invention'consists in a novel form of p supportinganemher attached to a link of the 'chain and a novel gripping mechahism adapted to engage said supportincr member and hold the Object to be transported thereon this in combination with means for automatieally operating the gripping member at predetermined points in theti'avel of the chain.` i Morein detail the vinvention consists in featuresof construction and methods of operation which will be hereafter morefully ydescribed" and claimed as the speeil'ication proceeds;

ciel-ring tothe drawings, Figure l is a equipped with the device of this invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the device of-Fig. l. I1`igL 3 is an enlarged detail view of the gripping mechanism in the position shown lnFig. 1. Fig. -ft 'is shown y in F B.

n Fig.v an enlarged detail A .view ot `the y gripping dog. Fig. tl lis,an enlarged de'Ni'l View of the parts shown in l"ig. P, lthe gripping meehanism having traveled 4from the position of Fig. 3 upward a shoiit distance. Fig. 7 is a `wheel shown in Fig. l shown f2 consisting 'ot two parallel pairsy In the particularl vvdiagrammatie end view ot' --the conveyen a side view of theparts detail view of the left hand hal wheel shown in Fig. l. ttigj. View oit 'th/e lett hand portion which the parts assume when mechanism has released the carried. Fig'. tl is a detail per"4 ot' th/e supporting meunier ear chain..

As ,f heretofore ,sta tod ti thisI yinvention is defQrnecl he apt any' sort oi an ohieet' to he earrietl aniv sort of a eonvever merlin v purposes of illustration one ronveyer mechanism is shown in wheels l0 and il and chains lil spared h v any sort of suitable frameworl.; which not shown. rl`hiseonvei'er mechanismshown in Figs. l and 2 is designe-:l and iiitmnletl to transport sneeessiveliv the rods lf3 reeling;

'upon a talile. lh adjacent to the meelntni;-1m

onto-allot her tahle li at the other sproekfetwvheel ll. For parra tration and desription thti whee and will he referred to as the oa-,ratin wheel for controlling the picking: up

leasing ot the objects to he transpor ti. The sprocket eliains l2 have 1n them s* links whose nnmher is an even ma that is to sa)T two`r ioni', sii; or ei l on,v times, this. so' that the sain v always engagrefthe same sprocket in the operating whetdr when it-ncf't passes over said wheel.

`i\`lounted upon the sprocket chain at s onie predetermined point is a supporting; hook or member 2t) lillustrated in detail in Fig. 9.' -ase here illustrated this supporting: memher is carried by and is integral with the link ).1 ot the chain having ylink pins 22 and 23 passing through holes 2t and 25 therein, but this supporting member Q() ma)v he secured to the chain by anT other suitable. means without departing; fronifthe invention. Each one of 'the ehains l2 has one of these supporting' members loeatetl as shown that are in ythe same horizontal line with eaeh other and therefore when the ends' readiljvY t ransportable hv the conveyer meehanism operating in the direction indicated by the various arrows in the drawings up' from the table 16 toward the wheel 10. Through each one of these supporting members 20 is a hole 27 carrying a pin 28 onywhich the parallel spaced sides 30 of the locking member 31 carrying the locking teeth. is. journaled. It will be noticed that each o f these pivots 28 is directly in line with the*l centerof the surface on hook y31 which sup-" ports rod 15 (see Fig. 7) with the result that when on the side of the wheel shown in Fig. 7 the hooks sup ort the rod 15 without the aid of any Weig t 32 or spring 36hereafte'r described. The opposite ends of these locking members form as shown extending arm or lever'portions 32 of relatively considerablelength. On each one of thev side members 30 of the locking vmember isla pinoli' stud 35 to which a retractile spring`36 is at' tached the opposite end of the spring being f secured to the chain 12 at a distant point as for instance the link pin with the result that these springs 36 always tend to rotate the locking members 31 in a clockwise direc-` tion about the 'shaft 28 and thereby close the locking teeth 31 about any particular rod 15 whichmay bev upon'` the supportingA members 20. As a mattery of fact theL ivotlng-of the parts of the locking member 0 -31-32 and the location'of the' pivot point 28 and the. gripping jaws 31 is such that the devicev works automatically and will su portany load within its capacity Without the springs 36 or weighted arms'32. The -springs `are.V addedv merely to insure positiveness and rapidity of action.'I This lockingI action is always maintained except When resistedl by other mechanism designed to throw th-desi vice open or into the full line position' of Fig. 3 so that the rod 15 may be inserted or removed. In the particular embodiment of the invention here illustratedthis mechanism consists 1n the pin oroppositely extending bar or pins 39 mounted upon the rim 40 oflv the operating wheel 11sa1d pin or pins being designed to engage the.inner face o'r faces 4 2 of the locking member` 31 during', the time that the locking mechanism is adj af" cent thelreto that is tosay while it is pass-"i in g over the lower 180 degrees Aof the ath oit' tra'vel of the circumference of the w eel 11 andhold it open in the position shown in 1ign 3. 4 n y In the operation of the device 4assume that the 'parts are. in the position of Fig. 3 andl that the wheel y11'V is being rotated by any suitable source of power in thedirection of the positionindicated by the arrow. 'Int'hi'aI position the locking'- members 30 orj31ya'r`e" thrown to open posltion and as thc wheel ro# tates the supporting members 20 e'ngagetheI rod 15 which has run down the'inclinet'able'4 -16 into contact therewith-and lifts said rod upward in the direction-of the arrowef Fig 06 1. As the mechanism travelsfrom the posl 'the pin 39 travels graduall away frtn e'u-4 lgagexnent with the face 42 o the locking. dog, with the result that the teeth; 31- m moved to., 1o the position of Fig. v1 in `which they grip the rod 15 and holdit upon'fthe supporting members 20. This gripping action Icontinues throughout the ytime thatfther particular 15 is traveling upftheri ht hand aidev of the 7B conveyor koverthe rwhee 10 thence through the position of Fig. 7 and do`wn i'nto co tact "with the lviheeldnl.F again. During this tune thapin 39 has trave ed' around 4thetvheel 1'1 -and bec'aus'zeytg.1 the proportioning of the 80 number of 'spicketteeth in the wheel 11 l to the sprocket' finks in the chain 12 1as heretofore described isv in aY position ready to engage the' face o'r faces42bf the arms-32 as the'A lockng-m'em'eragain-comes`in con- 85 tact with. the wheelg Assoon'as 'the parts v arrive at this position the 'irstmove to the position shownindottedv 'nes in Fig. 8 and `inally to'the'ull lline position of that re in which-thefl'ocking fmember .isl rotate vto 90A v open position and thel rod' 15 lwhich. -has4 just been carried'hyv f itisffreeltoldro by gravity 'onto Vthe tab e and rollaway.l rom this position fthe 'gripping mechanism returns, in open positiontothe position of Fig. 3 'where it receives-another rod 15 rom table 16. .y 'w Y r-. j

YFor purposes' ofillustration two sets' of gri ping mechanisnisy arefshown'in Figs."1 and) 2 butv manifestly onlyone -of .such stslo may-be used vention.

1. lIn mechanism [of the class-described any operating wheel,L a conve er mechanismmoved by saidoperatin-'gw eeltA a--support upon. the conveyer lmechanism fonzan object to betrans orted; grippingymechanism comi i prising a o'ad sulpporting; hook `pivoted to the support .in suc l a position thatjthe center l1 10 f off the supporting 'faceof thehrtiok4 is in' a t'vertical' linewith and below ithejpivot when?,

' the particular parts zue .on-the"`y descending `fside of the cnveyer, anda camwmechahism .upon the wheelfof-the-conveyenada ted to engage an extension from theahookJ w en the portion of the 'comieyerA 'mechanism carrying the ippingtmechanismisvin contact with saidheel, said lcamdbein so `proportioned as to 'old the grippinghqo; tiineit is adjacent to said wheelfor the p'urf `poses s'peciied.f l i 2. In mechanism otthegclassdescribed, thecombination of. an operatingwheel,. aconveyor .chain iassing over sai I`supportifor antol ,yltoxbe carried mounted upon the chain'gplppllg mechanismpivoted without departingfrom the ,in-

i to the-chain,r uponthelwheel .inside the tion shown in Fig.. 3 to that shown in Fig `6 open' during the 120 l circumference thereof engaging the gripping i In Wit-ness whereof., I Ahave hereunto submechanism4 when the portion of the chain scribed my. naine in the presence of two n 4 .l l

carrying the gripping mechanism is adjacent WitnessesLf thereto adapted to hold the gripping mech- LYMAN C.- DAVIDSON. anism open for the discharge of one object Witnesses:

carried and the reception vof another as C. J. CHRISTOFFEL,

described. DWIGHT B. CHEEVER. 

